Hunting the Northern Lights in Iceland – The Aurora Borealis
I went to Iceland to also go and see the Northern Lights, of course. In itself, January is in one of the best months to see the Northern Lights. It had been on my ever-growing bucket-list for years. So that was also partly why I went to Iceland.
Hunting the Northernlights in Iceland
also called the Aurora Borealis
For years, the Aurora Borealis has been high on my list. How magical that seems to me. So when I went to Iceland I booked a trip right away to go and see it.
When to see the Northern Lights in Iceland?
The best months to see the Northern Lights in Iceland are October to March. And from those months, November to February are the best again. So with January, I was very well off. You can expect the Northern Lights anywhere on the island but dark places are of course always better, where there is little / no light pollution in the sky.
But if you’re lucky you’ll just see it in Reykjavik.
How do I know if the Northern Lights can be seen?
The Northern Lights reveals itself best on clear and cold evenings. Weather grades are given (1 to 8) and I had the grade 4 a few times but that is still not enough to see it so…. surely a rating of 4 or higher gives a chance of seeing Northern Lights.
There is a Northern Lights app and who knows, maybe it will help you find and spot the beautiful Northern Lights.
Did you know that the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are the visible result of solar particles entering the Earth’s magnetic field in the high atmosphere and ionising there.
Taking pictures of the Northern Lights
I was practising at home with my simple camera to take some nightshots. I have the Panasonic Lumix TZ70 so I don’t have that much options… But still with good lightings at night I can get it on camera!
Northern lights can be seen in Iceland during winter months
If you are lucky!
And well, it is a natural phenomenon and so you can not say that you’re going to see it at a certain time.. You need to have a fair share of luck that it’s showing for you 🙂 The first Norhtern Lights trip I took was a hike on glacier Solheimajokull with afterwards an Icelandic soup and a hunt for the Northern Lights.
Picture taken on the Solheimajokull Gletsjer
Hunting the Nortern Lights in Iceland
We just couldn’t manage to spot the Northern Lights. Because time passed and it was really getting late the guide took us some where else. He had an alternative…it was a cave. If the lights showed in the meantime we obviously would go for that immediatly!
The entrance of the cave didn’t show because of the snow and after they digged it out we went in. It was a climb and slide for us and to get in safely we used a rope. I’m flexible and handy in climbing so I was down in a minute and started to help the others to come down safely. The part of the cave that was open for us wasn’t that big but showed some nice stones and they glittered 🙂
I didn’t got a nice picture of those glittering stones but it was a nice alternative!
The picture will give you an idea of the cave 🙂 It was the Raufarholshellir, it is 1350 metres deep and it was all stones and holes. We just walked a small bit and got a bit of an idea what kind of cave it was.
Because we didn’t saw the most agencies offered some kind of garantuee. You can join another trip, and another trip as longs as you’re on the island to try to see the lights. So a couple of days later when I was back in Reykjavik I joined them again for a hunt.
This time they brought a big jeep with huge tires underneath it. With this kind of car they can drive in areas where normal cars can’t drive…so maybe get a better view once the Lights will show! We drove out of the city and went into the snowy landscape of Iceland for a couple of hours. It was dark, the moon was shining.. We were in different places but we didn’t had any luck unfortunately.
The Jeep with the huge tires!
Then when you drive outside the city like this, you see people everywhere along the road. Groups of people, couples and people alone. I also went out in my rental car on the days I was alone. You have conversations with people everywhere who also stand in the car parks along the road. I also saw cars standing too deep in the snow, off the road where it wasn’t quite meant to be. Keep paying attention though, eh? if you like to look at the sky while driving 🙂
Seeing the Northern Lights…But keep it safe!!
Do keep your eyes on the road and just stop at the many parkinglots there are along the roads in Iceland.
Do you want to know more about driving in an rented car in Iceland? Take a look at: Rent a Car in Iceland, Yes!
I really liked driving around and searching for the Lights… But I really feel sad I didn’t saw it..
No… this is not the Northern Lights…
A very good reason to go back again in the winter season, of course. I am of the summer weather but Iceland positively surprised me. It was not cold, around freezing and the world was all white, I loved it! Just because it’s all white doesn’t mean you can’t see depth and, on the contrary, it’s not also very beautifully coloured. Because the sun goes up and down a bit throughout the day, I had super beautiful skies all day long!
If you are in Iceland and see the Northern Lights check these photography tips to make the best out of your trip! My pictures wouldn’t have turned out this great even if I had seen the lights.
Are you also booking a Northern Lights trip for your round trip in Iceland?
Just driving around in such a big car and with another group of tourists made it a fun experience. Then as the icing on the cake, if you also get to spot that beautiful light, that would be super!
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Read my previous posts about Iceland:
Bathing in a Snowy Landscape, Iceland in Wintertime
10 Minutes in Summertime… Thingvellir Nature Park
Jacomijn is een politieagent uit Nederland die jou graag laat zien hoe je veilig, actief en gezond de wereld kan over reizen. Safe and Healthy travel is a MUST
